INDUSTRY VOICESHow has the category of specialty/functionalfoods for cats changed?

“I’ve witnessed food for pets follow
a side road down the same trends
we have going on for humans. I
think the difference is care and
awareness. People have such an
easier time nowadays with the
advance in technology—sharing on
blogs and forums and being able to
research any ingredient or symptom
so simply.”—AMANDA MORTON,
store manager for Bon Pet Supply in
Colorado Springs, Colo.

ONSUMER EDUCATIONCONVERSATION DRIVES UNDERSTANDING

In cat food, education is everything, according to both retailers
and manufacturers. Most recommended conversation with
customers as the most effective way to inform pet owners
about specialty and functional cat foods.

“Consumer education is very important to the industryas a whole,” said Tracy Alford, owner of Animal Nutrition &Grooming Center in Roseville, Calif. “It gives people facts andinformation not given by their vet. Talking to the customer iskey; have a conversation with probing questions.”Because “buzzwords like ‘natural,’ ‘whole’ and ‘organic’are cluttering the pet food aisles and overwhelming con-sumers,” Missy Werges, brand director for Nature’s Variety inSt. Louis, emphasized the importance of offering “resourcesthat provide credible and simple information pet parents arelooking for.”The first step for retailers is to truly understand what’s ontheir shelves, said Chanda Leary-Coutu, director of consumerexperience for WellPet in Tewksbury, Mass.

Kathy Gross, director of clinical nutrition for Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Topeka, Kan., said that transparency with customers
about what pet foods contain is important from both pet food
companies and retailers.

Leary-Coutu also recommended that retailers offer on-site
demonstrations so cat owners can explore new recipes and
ask questions firsthand.

One way to ensure that staff are prepared to answer shoppers’ questions is to rely on manufacturer partners for detailed
information on products.

“Working directly with the manufacturer to help educateconsumers and store associates is paramount to correctlymarketing premium, natural pet food diets,” said LindsayTracy, director of new business and business development atRedbarn Pet Products in Long Beach, Calif.

Experts report that the more cat owners understand about
the importance of quality nutrition, the more likely they are to
consistently offer their pets the best diets available.

“Consumer education helps drive compliance, and diets
often cannot help a pet unless the owners are compliant,” said
Catherine Lenox, DVM, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and scientific affairs manager for Royal Canin USA in St.

Charles, Mo. “When owners have a better understanding of theoverall plan and know why a recommendation is made, there isa better chance that compliance will happen.”Despite how much more savvy consumers are, a lot ofmisinformation remains, Lenox said, adding that “havingthings like brochures available for them to read will help getthem started in terms of understanding why a recommenda-tion is made.”As part of its consumer education, Furry Face in Redlands,Calif., keeps a model of a cat’s jaw and diagrams of theirphysiology so staff can “show and tell how [cats] eat, whattheir teeth are shaped like, and why the shape indicates whatthey’re meant to eat, and how their physiology and digestivesystem works to process what they eat,” said owner LorinGrow. The store also uses social media to communicate withcat owners through posts, blogs, shared articles and more.

“No one buys a functional food that we don’t ask if they
have questions, what’s going on and if there are issues,” she
added.

Similarly, at Bon Pet Supply in Colorado Springs, Colo.,
store manager Amanda Morton said they spend a lot of time
talking to cat owners to educate them. Staff members also
share what’s worked with their own pets.

“More people are asking questions about what they put in their pet’s bowl
each day: What ingredients is it made with? How will this impact my pet’s
health? Where do these ingredients come from? This has led to a stronger
interest in the natural category.”—CHANDA LEARY-COUTU, director of
consumer experience for WellPet in Tewksbury, Mass.

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